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  • MTN Nigeria has dominated the country's telecommunications market over the years, accounting for the largest market share. All four operators, apart from 9mobile, recorded a significant increase in their subscriber base between May 2014 and March 2024.

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    Only 10% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000, according to the Nigerian Financial Services Market Report. This aligns with most reports about Nigeria, and it's in sharp contrast to the narratives online.
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  • The 2024 Global Peace Index reveals a decline in peacefulness in 97 countries, the highest since the index began.

    Nigeria is among the nations affected by regional conflicts and rising violence. With a peace index score of 2.91, Nigeria is facing increasing challenges.

    A deteriorating peace score impacts foreign investment and economic stability. Global economic losses due to violence reached $19.1 trillion in 2023.

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    The FAAC's revenue distribution from 2017 to August 2023 highlights the dominance of Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa states in allocations. Despite Lagos' economic prominence, it ranked fifth. Here is the distribution of revenue among states between 2017 and August 2023.

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  • A Trend of Adult literacy rates of African countries

    Between 2018 and 2021, adult literacy rates across African nations exhibited significant disparities. Seychelles and South Africa led with literacy rates of 96% and 95%, respectively, indicating a high proportion of literate adults. Conversely, Chad had the lowest literacy rate during this period.

    These statistics underscore the uneven progress in educational attainment across Africa, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve literacy in lower-performing nations.

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    Countries by Global Innovation Index 2024

    The Global Innovation Index 2024 reveals a striking contrast in innovation performance between countries globally and across Africa. Switzerland leads the global rankings with an impressive score of 67.5, followed by Sweden (64.5) and the USA (62.4), highlighting their sustained investments in research, development, and technological advancement.

    In Africa, Mauritius takes the top spot with a score of 30.5, followed closely by Morocco (28.8) and South Africa (28.3). However, even Africa's most innovative nations achieve less than half the score of global leaders, indicating a significant innovation gap.

    Nigeria ranks 15th in the African ranking and 113th globally, out of 133 countries, with a score of 17.1.

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  • MTN Nigeria has dominated the country's telecommunications market over the years, accounting for the largest market share. All four operators, apart from 9mobile, recorded a significant increase in their subscriber base between May 2014 and March 2024.

    See more
  • Only 10% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000, according to the Nigerian Financial Services Market Report. This aligns with most reports about Nigeria, and it's in sharp contrast to the narratives online.
    See more

  • The 2024 Global Peace Index reveals a decline in peacefulness in 97 countries, the highest since the index began.

    Nigeria is among the nations affected by regional conflicts and rising violence. With a peace index score of 2.91, Nigeria is facing increasing challenges.

    A deteriorating peace score impacts foreign investment and economic stability. Global economic losses due to violence reached $19.1 trillion in 2023.

    See more
Other Insights
 
  • Africa received 66% of IDA’s FY2025 commitments.
  • Africa’s total IDA allocation was $22.4 billion out of $33.8 billion.
  • Nigeria was the largest borrower from the DA globally, with $3.1 billion in loans.
  • Bangladesh ranked second with $3 billion.
  • Six of the top ten borrowers were African countries.
  • Nigeria accounted for 9.3% of total FY2025 IDA commitments.
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  • Domestic share rose steadily from 34% in 2021 to 45% in 2025, gaining eleven percentage points in five years.
  • Export share fell from 66% to 55%, losing ground every year without a single recovery.
  • 2023 was the sharpest single-year shift; domestic share jumped seven points, from 36% to 43%.
  • The gap between export and domestic share has narrowed from 32 to just 10 points.
See more
 
  • Oyo reduced external and domestic debt by the end of 2025.
  • External debt fell faster than domestic debt.
  • External debt declined more consistently over the period.
  • Oyo’s local debt peaked around 2022–2023 before falling back.
  • The state appears to have prioritised reducing FX exposure.
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  • Seychelles has Africa’s strongest passport.
  • Mauritius is the only other African country with a passport close to Seychelles'.
  • South Africa leads the mainland pack, but still trails the island leaders by a wide margin.
  • No country outside the top three crosses a mobility score of 100.
  • Visa-required destinations still dominate for every passport in the top ten, except Seychelles and Mauritius.
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  • Nigeria faces visa requirements in nearly half of Africa.
  • West Africa is Nigeria’s easiest mobility zone.
  • Beyond its West African neighbors, the Nigerian passport unlocks visa-free entry to only four other African nations
  • ECOWAS is the biggest reason for Nigeria’s visa-free access to its neighbours.
  • Visa openness drops sharply outside West Africa.
  • Africa’s free-movement agenda is still uneven in practice.
  • Business mobility remains constrained by visa friction.
See more
 
  • There is a wide disparity in GHI scores across Africa, ranging from 6.2 in Tunisia to 49.9 in Burundi, indicating a stark divide in countries’ economic well-being.
  • Countries naturally group into lower (below 20), mid (20–34.9), and high (35+) ranges, reflecting varying levels of economic strain.
  • West and Central African countries like Nigeria (32.8), Niger (33.9), Chad (34.8), and the Central African Republic (33.4) cluster toward the upper end, indicating deeper economic challenges.
  • Extreme cases remain concentrated in fragile states; the highest scores — Somalia (42.6) and Burundi (49.9) — highlight persistent structural vulnerabilities, often linked to conflict and instability.
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  • Africa has been the world's biggest World Bank borrower since 2017, and the gap is widening.
  • Three crises drove it: an infrastructure gap, the 2014 commodity crash, and COVID-19.
  • The World Bank leaned in deliberately — 66% of all IDA funds went to Africa in 2025 alone.
  • It's not really "Africa's debt" — it's Nigeria's, Kenya's, Ethiopia's, Egypt's, Tanzania's, and Morocco's.
  • Every other region is slowing down, but Africa's curve is still climbing.
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  • Nigeria’s GDP per capita rose strongly from 1999 to 2014, then reversed.
  • The 2014 peak remains the defining turning point.
  • Obasanjo’s years show the fastest sustained climb from a very low base.
  • Yar’Adua’s short tenure still maintained upward momentum.
  • Jonathan’s period delivered the peak level, not the fastest growth rate.
  • Buhari’s tenure marks the longest clear decline in GDP per capita.
  • Tinubu’s period begins with another sharp fall.
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Lagos State’s debt
 
  • Lagos cut external debt, but increased domestic debt.
  • The drop in external debt was meaningful, but the rise in domestic debt was much larger.
  • Stronger IGR gave Lagos more room to borrow and repay.
  • The state chose local funding over heavier dollar exposure.
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Nigerian states that reduced their external debts between June 2023 and December 2025
 
  • Lagos's debt reduction is larger than the other six combined.
  • Oyo posted the fastest reduction rate.
  • The biggest percentage cut did not equal the biggest dollar cut.
  • Debt reduction was concentrated, not broad-based.
  • Higher state revenues likely created room for repayments.
  • Lagos had the strongest fiscal capacity among the states shown.
  • Smaller debt stocks made percentage declines easier for some states.
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Change in external debt stock by state in Nigeria (Top 15, June 2023–June 2025)
 
  • All but four states increased their external debt between June 2023 and December 2025.
  • Northern states account for roughly 70% of the $1.34 billion added by states nationally.
  • Katsina recorded the highest growth in both absolute terms ($150 million) and rate (+296%).
  • 12 of the 15 fastest-growing state debts are in the north.
  • Lagos, Nigeria's largest debtor at $1.17 billion outstanding, was one of only four states that reduced its debt.
  • Kaduna carries the second-heaviest debt load at $684 million, despite a relatively modest 20% growth rate.
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Abia state debt
 
  • Abia’s domestic debt dropped by 66% between 2023 and 2025.
  • The state reduced domestic debt by about ₦94 billion.
  • Debt fell from roughly ₦138 billion to about ₦48.5 billion within two and a half years.
  • About ₦72 billion of inherited debt was cleared early in the administration.
  • External debt increased by 14% (+$12.9 million) over the same period.
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1 2 3 … 126
  • Africa received 66% of IDA’s FY2025 commitments.
  • Africa’s total IDA allocation was $22.4 billion out of $33.8 billion.
  • Nigeria was the largest borrower from the DA globally, with $3.1 billion in loans.
  • Bangladesh ranked second with $3 billion.
  • Six of the top ten borrowers were African countries.
  • Nigeria accounted for 9.3% of total FY2025 IDA commitments.
Read more
  • Domestic share rose steadily from 34% in 2021 to 45% in 2025, gaining eleven percentage points in five years.
  • Export share fell from 66% to 55%, losing ground every year without a single recovery.
  • 2023 was the sharpest single-year shift; domestic share jumped seven points, from 36% to 43%.
  • The gap between export and domestic share has narrowed from 32 to just 10 points.
Read more
  • Oyo reduced external and domestic debt by the end of 2025.
  • External debt fell faster than domestic debt.
  • External debt declined more consistently over the period.
  • Oyo’s local debt peaked around 2022–2023 before falling back.
  • The state appears to have prioritised reducing FX exposure.
Read more
  • Seychelles has Africa’s strongest passport.
  • Mauritius is the only other African country with a passport close to Seychelles'.
  • South Africa leads the mainland pack, but still trails the island leaders by a wide margin.
  • No country outside the top three crosses a mobility score of 100.
  • Visa-required destinations still dominate for every passport in the top ten, except Seychelles and Mauritius.
Read more
  • Nigeria faces visa requirements in nearly half of Africa.
  • West Africa is Nigeria’s easiest mobility zone.
  • Beyond its West African neighbors, the Nigerian passport unlocks visa-free entry to only four other African nations
  • ECOWAS is the biggest reason for Nigeria’s visa-free access to its neighbours.
  • Visa openness drops sharply outside West Africa.
  • Africa’s free-movement agenda is still uneven in practice.
  • Business mobility remains constrained by visa friction.
Read more
  • There is a wide disparity in GHI scores across Africa, ranging from 6.2 in Tunisia to 49.9 in Burundi, indicating a stark divide in countries’ economic well-being.
  • Countries naturally group into lower (below 20), mid (20–34.9), and high (35+) ranges, reflecting varying levels of economic strain.
  • West and Central African countries like Nigeria (32.8), Niger (33.9), Chad (34.8), and the Central African Republic (33.4) cluster toward the upper end, indicating deeper economic challenges.
  • Extreme cases remain concentrated in fragile states; the highest scores — Somalia (42.6) and Burundi (49.9) — highlight persistent structural vulnerabilities, often linked to conflict and instability.
Read more
1 2 3 … 252
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